The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-05-13
DEER CREEK FARMERS CLUB.


The Deer Creek Farmers Club met. last Satur-
day, at the residence OF Mr.. Parker II. Lee. upon
invitation OF his son, Mr. James Lee. Mr. John
MoOres was called to the chair.
Messrs. Benz. Silver Jr.. X. John Rogers and
VIM. Munnikhuysen, the committee OF inspec-
ton. performed their duty and reported. The
farm consists of 226 acres, nearly all of IL being
well set in grass. One of the fields is set with
Kentucky blue grass, which Mr.. Lee said makes
very nne pasturage. The first two or three
years IL does not amount to much, but when
thoroughly established is very valuable Mr.. X.
Harris Archer, of the club, it was stated, was the
frat to SOW Kentucky blue grass seed here He
also spoke favorably of It. The committee said
they regarded Mr.. Lees as one of the model farms
OF the county. They found everything in good
markaby fine. He has 81 head. OF thes. 20
have been sold. They were bought on the Goth
of November last, WEIGHING ~ lbs. each, at a
sold for 81 cents Mr.. Lee has in all IS head of
stock on his place, besides number OF hogs.
The COMMITTEES also looked at Mr.. Lees large
garden, in which the vegetables are coming on In
nice order. He has blacksmith shop on the
premises, which must save him time and cx-
pense in having repairs made to machinery.
GARDENING AND SMALL FRUITS.
being the topic announced for discussion James
Lee said these were things farmers did not pay
enough attention TO-. In making a garden a
good location should be selected. This should
be level or slightly sloping towards the South.
a sandy loan being best. IL should be laid off
so as to worE IL Win h has t'G care
the whole year a few hot bed sash for use dur
ing the winter and early spring and good place
to store roots are needed 1t would be Of ad-
vantage If several adjoining farmers would to-
gether hire an experienced gardener to take
charge of their gardens. The garden is half the
left until the last. If we had railroad we could
sell enough of the surplus from our gardens, il
managed properly, to pay their entire expense.
More attention should be paid to growing small
fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries cur
rants, grapes, sc. For health as we'll as comfort
II pays to raise fruits and vegetables.
BENJAMIN Silver, Jr., said people who live in
the country should have all the advantages and
enjoyments the country will afford, and among
of US only work the garden when 1t is too wet to
work in the fields. Although it costs something
to have n garden 1t pays as an Investment.
Small fruits in summer are grateful to the sys-
TEN and benefit to health and should be grown
In abundance. The garden should be as nearly
level as possible to keep 1t from washing.
Johns H. Janney looked upon the garden as
the most profitable acre on the farm. There
would be very poor living without 1t. Even in
OF meat, besides being more wholesome. You
can generally get an old man. who understands
gardening, to work 1t for board wages
H. John Rogers said he appreciates good gar
dem but like others don't get as much benefit
from his garden as he should. He would like a
southern exposure but not too much hill, and
light, loamy soil
s. NJ Lee said the location of a garden should
be little south, but not too steep. Almost any
ground will make garden II properly managed.
If the ground is inclined to bake II may be made
friable by blowing down cropof clover. There
u *
There ought not be a day in the year when we
could not get something out of the garden or
that has been stored away, If properly managed.
Farm gardens are generally too small. Tney
should be large enough to be worked by horse.
Small fruits of all kinds, and even dwarf pears,
may be raised in tolerably small garden.
VIM. Webster said he was an enthusiast, he
supposed, on the subject of gardening. Farmers
generally do not appreciate the value OF good
garden or an orchard OF small fruits They are
not only sources of profit but above that, means
of health. family of children can not be rails
would prefer an eastern, or southeastern expo
sure and level but well drained. \ sandy loan
is best for vegetables. The garden should be
worked by horse. A farmer is unjust to him
self and his family II he does not plant every
kind of fruit adapted to this climate. He can
plant the seeds OF apple, plum, peach or cherry
and graft the tree with any variety he pleascs.
Mr.. Webster has fine bed Of asparagus from
which he sold ST. worth, last year, besides hay
ing all he could use in his family and supplying
friends. He described his mode of maSng II
bed, as follows:
Piow out furrow about twice as deep as for
potatoes; nearly I'LL it with good, well-rotted
manure. Place two or three inches of fine soil
on top of this. Then sow asparagus seed in the
row, or il you prefer, plant two year old roots,
one foot apart. II the latter cover with about
four inches of fine earth. If you plant seed do
not cover so deep. When the seed comes up.
thin out to about one foot apart in the row. You
can haye as many rows as you like, planting
them three feet apart and work them on each
side with horse. AS to the size of a bed, you
should allow nifty plants for each member Of
Mr.. Webster said he keeps his roots and cab
bage in cave, which cost him 50. The cabbages
are set up along one side and earth thrown
against them.
S. NJ. Lee said he had seen cabbage kept in a
hogshead buried in the ground, where they were
accessible at all times.
Parker II. Lee said he used to keep carrots,
beets, &C., in barrels in the cellar, with dry sand
but found that they would keep quite as well II
merely dried and placed in the barrels without
sand, covering the top of the barrel with bag.
VIM. Webster, resuming, said vegetables sucn
QQ a oh M n tn1 ton
days, to have them in succession. Hewould not
have trees in his garden.
VIM. ID. Lee said garden pays better than any
other ground on the farm. Fruits, he thought,
should be separate from the vegetable garden.
The latter should be long, instead ofsquarc, and
should be arranged to work 1t with horse.
VIM. Munnikhuyscn thought it would be a
good plan to have two gardens, so that one of
them could be sowed in clover every two years
and plowel down. He would use no fertilizer
in the garden except bone dust and phosphate
and thus get rid of many weeds,
Mr.. Webster suggested that IL he plowcl down
clover often he would have many cut worms to
destroy his vegetables.
mir. Munnikhuysen added that no part of the
farm pays better and TO none should more at
tention be given than the garden.
Thos. Loohary confessed he had neglected bis
garden. He had, however, just laid out garden
100 yards long and 40 or 50 yards wide. lie tried
10 select mellow ground that would not wash.
Edward ii. Hall said he prefers to use CONNER
clal fertilizers instead OF stable manure in his
garden, aud finds he has larger and better vege-
tables where he uses bone dust. He has q truck
patch for his main supply and occasionally
pows down sod and makes his truck patch else
where. A garden requires attention every day
and some one should be employed to attend to
1t. If you depend on your farm hands working
1t you will not be likely to have good garden.
X. Harris Archer thought the farm garden
proper need not be large, being merely for small
carly vegetables, such as lettuce and radshes,
and have a truck patch of from the house. An
acre Is enough. 1t is not well to have too much
fruit in the garden. He thought 1t a mistake to
hoe strawberry plants when in blossom.
John Moores thought the garden might be
large enough to contain pear trees, aprlcots
backberres. gooseberres and currants. Two
acres would be sufficient for all these. He re-
RaFdcd stable manure ms the best fertilizer for q
garden. 1t is a good sign to see weeds start
They show that the ground Is good and are OF
advantage, because they set a man to working
his garden to Kill them.